The Mythology Book

NORTHERN EUROPE 141

See also: The war of the gods and Titans 32–33 ■ A complex god 164 ■

The twilight of the gods 150–57 ■ The game of dice 202–03 The walls of Asgard

The gods hired a giant to

rebuild the walls of Asgard

after their war with the Vanir.

They agreed to give him the

sun, the moon, and the

goddess Freyja if he would

complete the task in a single

winter, believing this was

impossible. For his part, the

giant agreed to work alone,

aided only by his stallion.

When they saw that the giant

would finish on time, the gods

ordered Loki to find a way to

get out of keeping their

promise. Turning himself into

a mare, Loki lured the giant’s

stallion away so that the giant

missed his deadline. Realizing

he had been cheated, the

giant flew into a rage, and

Thor killed him. The gods

had become oath-breakers,

corrupted by power. Odin also

received an unexpected gift

from Loki as a result of the

deception—an eight-legged

foal, Sleipnir, fathered by the

giant’s stallion.

Odin sits astride Sleipnir in this

18th-century Icelandic illumination.

Sleipnir was born to Loki while the

trickster took the form of a mare.

were unhappy with their hostages.

When Mímir was there to tell him

what to say, Honir gave good

advice, but when Mímir was away,

he could only reply, “Let others

decide.” Feeling they had been

cheated, the Vanir beheaded Mímir

and sent Honir, with his head, back

to Asgard. Odin preserved Mímir’s

head and gave it the power of

speech so that he could benefit

from its wisdom. The distinction

between the gods eventually faded

when the Vanir became Aesir and

shared the tribute from humans.

Clash between cults

The story of the war of the gods

could be interpreted as a mythic

representation of a clash between

two religious cults. It is possible

that the Vanir were the gods of

Stone Age Scandinavian farmers

(c. 11,000–1800 bce), while the Aesir

were the gods of Indo-Europeans

who migrated into the region in

the Bronze Age (c. 1800–500 bce). ■

The Aesir The Vanir

Lived in Asgard, one of

the nine worlds.

Lived in Vanaheim, one of

the nine worlds.

Origins shrouded

in mystery.

Descended from Vili,

Vé, and Odin.

Key figures include Freyja,

Freyr, and Njord.

Key figures include

Thor and Loki.

Associated with fertility

and nature.

Associated with power

and war.

They made a truce by this

procedure, that both sides

went to a pot and spat into it.

Prose Edda

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